Train gates were down when media critic Eric Boehlert was struck, killed, NJ Transit says – NJ.com

Investigators said Monday the safety equipment at the Montclair train station where media critic Eric Boehlert was struck and killed while riding his bicycle was operating normally at the time of the crash.

Boehlert, 56, died after he was struck about 9:40 p.m. April 4, by a train on the Montclair-Boonton line near the Montclair station, authorities said.

Boehlert was riding his bike over the tracks at North Fullerton Avenue when he was hit by a train headed for Hackettstown in Warren County, according to NJ Transit.

“The investigation indicated that safety mechanisms were working as intended at North Fullerton,” said Jim Smith, spokesman for NJ Transit. Smith confirmed the gates were down and lights were flashing at the time of the crash.

Boehlert started out as a music journalist with Billboard and later worked for Rolling Stone. He was a founding member of Salon before joining Media Matters and later founded his own online newsletter, Press Run.

He became known known for monitoring George W. Bush during the president’s White House years and was a critic of right-wing media.

A frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC and other shows, Boehlert authored two books, “Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush” and “Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press.”

Boehlert was married to Tracy Breslin and together they raised two children in Montclair.

“He was a prominent journalist who was a fierce defender of truth in media, and a loving husband to Tracy, father to Jane and Ben, brother, uncle, and friend to legions,” his older brother, Bart Boehlert said Saturday on Facebook.

According to his obituary, Boehlert was a longtime member of the Montclair Commonwealth Club, where he bowled for 20 years with the Condors bowling team and also coached his son’s baseball team for four years.

“Eric was a kind and gentle man, with never a cruel word, but was always strong and brave in his observations of media bias, unafraid to call out the most esteemed media giants in his quest for fairness and equality,” the obituary says.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at First Congregational Church in Montclair. The family asks that donations be made to the Eric Boehlert Memorial Scholarship at Montclair High School.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.